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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #380476
Research Project: Develop Pest Management Technologies and Strategies to Control the Coffee Berry Borer

Location: Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory

Title: Vulnerability of coffee (Coffea) genetic resources in the United States

Author
item KRISHNAN, SARADA - Denver Botanic Gardens
item Matsumoto Brower, Tracie
item NAGAI, CHIFUMI - Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council
item FALCONER, JAMES - Mauigrown Coffee, Inc
item SHRINER, SUZANNE - Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council
item LONG, JENNIFER - World Coffee Research
item MEDRANO, JUAN - Frinj Coffee
item Vega, Fernando

Submitted to: Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2021
Publication Date: 6/4/2021
Citation: Krishnan, S., Matsumoto Brower, T.K., Nagai, C., Falconer, J., Shriner, S., Long, J., Medrano, J., Vega, F.E. 2021. Vulnerability of coffee (Coffea) genetic resources in the United States. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-021-01217-1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10722-021-01217-1

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Coffee is one of the most important agricultural commodities worldwide, significantly contributing to the economies of many coffee-producing countries. Globally over 2.2 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily with over 400 million of those consumed in the United States alone. The two main cultivated species are Coffea arabica (Arabica coffee) and C. canephora (robusta coffee). The 2020/2021 global production for Arabica coffee has been forecasted at 6.1 million tons and at 4.5 million tons for robusta coffee. Demand is predicted to increase in the coming years. In order to meet demands, an investment should be made in advancing coffee research to deal with challenges posed by climate change and associated impacts such as higher incidence of insect pests and plant pathogens, resulting in lower productivity. To tackle the challenges faced by coffee growers in the United States, a germplasm conservation and research program has been initiated under the auspices of the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. A coffee genebank is being established at the Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center (PBARC) in Hilo, Hawai’i with a back-up collection at the Tropical Agricultural Research Station (TARS) in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. To develop priorities for the collection, the present coffee crop vulnerability statement developed by the Coffee and Cacao Crop Germplasm Committee provides background information about the crop, threats to genetic resources, current status of genetic resources and capacities, and future needs.